This invention relates generally to apparatus for transferring an article between two mutually spaced locations and particularly to such an apparatus for removing a molded product from the mold cavity of an injection molding machine and depositing the product at a receiving station.
To meet mass production requirements, automatic injection molding machines which include stationary and reciprocal mold halves are often provided with apparatus for the removal of a molded part from one of the mold halves. Certain prior art removal apparatus comprised a plurality of ejector pins projectable into the mold cavity for dislodging the molded product therefrom as the mold halves separate subsequent to the molding operation. As the operating speeds of injection molding machines increased, such prior art removal apparatus often were found incapable of ejecting the molded product with speeds sufficient to consistently ensure the product clearing the mold halves as the mold halves were closed at the start of the next molding operation. Moreover, these prior art apparatus were only capable of dropping the product between the open mold halves and did not function to transfer the product to other locations remote from the injection molding machine.
To overcome these difficiencies, apparatus which seek to positively grip the product, remove the product from the open mold halves and transfer the product to locations remote from the injection molding machine have been developed. These apparatus or robots as they are sometimes known often include complex mechanical movements requiring the application of power to a plurality of movable components and are, therefore, costly to manufacture and service and quite susceptible to malfunction. Moreover, certain of these robots are synchronized with and driven by the molding machine through a mechanical linkage or connection therewith. Thus, it will be appreciated, that such robots must be designed for use with a particular injection molding machine and are neither controllable independent from the molding machine nor conveniently adaptable for use with other production machinery.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide an article transferring apparatus which effectively removes molded parts from an automatic injection molding machine and deposits the parts at a remote receiving station.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an article transferring apparatus which effectively transfers a workpiece between two mutually spaced locations.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an article transferring apparatus which effectively transfers a workpiece between two mutually spaced locations at speeds complimentary to those at which modern production machinery operates.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an article transferring apparatus which is reliable and economic to manufacture and service.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an article transferring apparatus which is compact and readily adaptable to a variety of production machinery.